A film that has been showing to sell-out audiences across the county, comes to Ross on June 26th. Made possible by National Lottery players, ‘Stories from the Hop Yard’ is packed full of tales, mixing archive photographs, films, and newly recorded oral history interviews, with farmers, traders, pickers and brewers to look at the heritage of hops and at the present day.

During its hand-picking heyday, the annual hop harvest attracted an unprecedented migration of thousands of pickers from within and outside the county, all arriving by train, bus, truck or charabanc.

Whole families set up camp in barns and barracks for the duration, sleeping on straw, cooking dinner over open fires, mothers working at cribs, while children picked into upturned umbrellas.

For the many hop farms in Herefordshire - including Cottons at Yatton and Pughs at Upton Bishop – these pickers were essential to get the crop in and we hear stories of wisdom, laughter, heartbreak and hope, from Herefordians, pickers from South Wales, the Black Country, Polish migrant workers and Gypsy Roma travellers.

Julia Goldsmith, the producer from Catcher Media said: ‘We have been so delighted by the response we have been getting from audiences, not only from the tears and laughter at the memories but also the appreciation of the stunning photographs which inspired the project, we hope Ross will enjoy it too’

This Heritage Lottery Funded film is bought to you by Catcher Media as part of their ‘Herefordshire Life Through A Lens’ project, which has been inspired by the rediscovered Derek Evans photographic collection.

‘Stories from the Hop Yard’ is screening at Flicks in the Sticks venue St Mary’s Church Hall on Tuesday, June 26th at 7pm. It will be followed by a Q&A with the film makers and stars of the film. Tickets are available from www.artsalive.co.uk or call 01989 568705.

As the refurbishement work in Ross Library progresses the first exhibition has gone up in the new space. A selection of photographs by Derek Evans are on display.